2018 NYA Safety Guide
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
3923 NYA Safety-DigitalFINAL2.qxp_Layout 1 5/16/18 1:43 PM Page 1 New York & Atlantic Protecting Our Community Growing Our Economy Welcome to the New York & Atlantic Railway Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and our host communities. For more than two decades, the New York & Atlantic Railway (NYA) has kept businesses humming in Queens, Brooklyn, and throughout Long Island, knowing that our operations must always be safe and respectful of the community. Communities have recognized that NYA is an important part of the transportation infrastructure. We work hard at being a good neighbor, and take our responsibility as a freight railroad operating in a densely populated area very seriously. Our obligation is to safely deliver and pick up freight at over 80 businesses located along 270 miles of railroad track. The next pages provide details about how we are able to do that safely every day. 3923 NYA Safety-DigitalFINAL2.qxp_Layout 1 5/16/18 1:43 PM Page 2 2 RAILSafety Safety is a core value of the New York & Atlantic Railway (NYA)—and its parent company, Anacostia Rail Holdings (ARH). Our leaders provide every member of our organization with the tools, training, and support that enable safe operations. We believe that no job is so important —no delivery so urgent—that we cannot take the time to perform our operations safely. SAFETY is The Priority! screening, testing, and treatment review derails, switches and track program which we were the first to structure, and we have an ongoing The NYA workforce is made up of execute among U.S. short line rail- program to maintain and improve dozens of individuals—many are roads. track. your neighbors—who take seriously The NYA Safety Committee meets Electronic Recordkeeping, their own safety, the safety of fellow on a regular basis to provide a voice implemented in 2014, has enhanced employees, and the safety of the for field employees to address safety compliance with Engineer/Conduct- communities we serve. issues and to raise safety standards. or Certification, Operational Testing, We are a short line railroad indus- Independent safety evaluations are and is supporting compliance with try leader, adopting new technologies also conducted by the American new federal training standards. and approaches which make our Short Line and Regional Railroad New compliance technology and operations safer, maintain regulatory Association (ASLRRA), Short Line training is raising safety standards, compliance, and safeguard the envi- Safety Institute, and other third-party maintaining accountability, and ronment. At NYA, safety truly is our evaluators. fostering a safe work environment top priority and we will never let We are a short line industry leader for employees and contractors. competing demands compromise in providing railroad safety training the safety of our operations. to emergency responders, including DEDICATED Leadership PERPETUAL Training & Evaluation the use of specially designed Safety That NYA takes safety seriously is Trains. NYA has sponsored training evident in its top-level management NYA’s safety culture is supported for hundreds of first responders over team. by some of the most extensive and the years. Our President and Vice President rigorous classroom and field trans- Our locomotives include state-of- are seasoned professionals who lead portation instruction in the rail the-industry cameras, recording the overall safety effort with passion industry. Train service candidates devices, and operational monitoring and focus. These leaders are supported must pass qualifying tests adminis- equipment to alert operators and by our Chief Safety and Compliance tered by the LIRR as part of their managers of unsafe events and Officer (ASLRRA Safety Professional qualification process. Further, all record results. of the Year in 2013), Chief Medical qualified transportation employees “Derails” are safety devices that Officer, Chief Mechanical Officer, have participated in our sleep apnea are designed to prevent collisions and Roadmaster. due to vandalism, errors, or equip- ment failure. NYA and LIRR jointly 100 bumper-to-bumper trucks on your roads stretch 1.4 miles.1 One 25-car train on our railroad reduces highway damage and congestion. 3923 NYA Safety-DigitalFINAL2.qxp_Layout 1 5/16/18 1:43 PM Page 3 3 RAILSustainability Greater fuel efficiency allows the railroad to serve customers while producing less greenhouse gas and lower particulate emissions than the option of trucks. BETTER Environment our fleet one of the lowest CO2 emit- BENEFICIAL Partners ting fleets in the U.S. freight rail More than 200,000 tons of iron, In 2017, there were 19,000 fewer industry. steel, auto shredder residue, and tons of carbon dioxide equivalents Overall, NYA closely monitors our 2 furnace-ready glass were recovered (CO2e) emitted into our local atmos- rail operations and quickly responds and recycled3 by three of NYA’s phere due to the green impact of to any environmental issues associ- biggest shippers in 2017. moving freight via rail. ated with our operations. NYA continues to improve upon this record and will utilize additional low-emission locomotives to make One 25-car train can carry as much freight as 100 trucks! Trains are more fuel efficient, so they pollute less.4 = 1 Based on 75-foot truck length 2 https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php 3 RailConnect Business Intelligence 4 Forbes, March 27, 2014, “The Most Efficient Mode of Transportation In America Isn’t a Prius — It’s a Train. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2014/03/27/the-most-efficient-mode-of-transportation-in-america-isnt-a- prius-its-a-train/#115beedb516f 3923 NYA Safety-DigitalFINAL2.qxp_Layout 1 5/16/18 1:43 PM Page 4 4 RAILPartnership Traffic on NYA’s 270-mile network has more than doubled in 20 years; moving a variety of commodities that are critical to the local economy. RELIABLE Service enables remote activation of grade cross- ing warning devices by train crews, in the 80 businesses in Brooklyn and Queens, event of failure. along with Nassau and Suffolk counties, Grade crossing evaluation and improve- rely on NYA to operate safely and efficiently. ments have been completed on nine We have been recognized for expeditious crossings on the Lower Montauk and C recovery after blizzards and our service Secondary lines. performance is exceptional given the Periodic, random environmental complex challenge of operating in tight assessments are conducted by an inde- windows between scheduled commuter pendent environmental consultant for rail trains. cars that haul municipal solid waste and NYA is a uniquely vital short line rail- construction and demolition debris. This road, providing connecting service to information is voluntarily shared with the three large Class 1 railroads that serve New York State Department of Environ- New York City—CSX, Norfolk Southern, mental Conservation to confirm oversight. and Canadian Pacific, as well as regional Operation Lifesaver training is regularly railroad Providence and Worcester. provided to local schools and community groups to raise awareness about train SUPPORTIVE Neighbor safety. More than $35 million has been paid to the LIRR since 1997 by NYA, including FORWARD Thinking annual fees, royalties, and locomotive “With the amount of cargo [in the New lease fees. This is a direct outcome of our York City area] set to grow by 40% in the growth in traffic, which is a core mission of next 30 years, planners are searching our franchise. urgently for alternative delivery methods,” NYA is a significant employer, provid- according to Crain’s New York Business. ing more than 56 family-wage jobs, of NYA is part of the solution for delivering which 63% are union positions. Almost all materials and goods in this burgeoning our employees reside in the communities region. we serve. NYA capital investments of more than $25 million include reconstruction of PROTECTING Our Communities terminals, clearance improvements, new NYA is a critical partner during weather yard tracks, and locomotive upgrades. NYA emergencies, providing fuel deliveries for has secured grants and provided match- Long Island homes. ing funds to make critical improvements New grade crossing safety technology to LIRR infrastructure. —Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF)— on the Bushwick Branch in Brooklyn New York & Atlantic Railway An Anacostia Company 68-01 Otto Road 224 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 330 Glendale, NY 11385 Chicago, Illinois 60604 (718) 497-3023 Phone: (312) 341-1026 www.anacostia.com/railroads/nya www.anacostia.com.